The Money in the Bank briefcase has lot its threat. Between a couple of lacklustre runs that ended in failure, being a side-note or being cashed in within the same show it was won, it’s lost some of that creeping tension that any time the champion is in a WWE building, they could be about to lose their big gold pride and joy. Maybe it’s time we brought back that fear in the eyes of a champion and who better to do so than the man who if there were any justice in the world would already have been and still be the Universal Champion, Samoa Joe.

Joe has had his momentum derailed a few times now by injuries but like when just after MitB ’16, they went straight in with the Shield Triple Threat, they should have learnt by now, don’t wait to do things or they just might never happen. The thing is, people are talking about how Smackdown needs the Briefcase and how The Miz needs it to set up for him and The Miz but Miz and Bryan’s rivalry is so well-built and longstanding that at this point, it doesn’t need a belt to make it matter, it matters because of who it is. In WWE, Styles vs Joe doesn’t have any reason to happen yet, it also doesn’t have the same acknowledged history to ground and contextualise it but that is the joy of a well-timed cash-in, it brings with it the potential to do a whole load of cool, new match-ups and set immediate stakes.

The best thing about Joe having the briefcase is that it gives the title and him equal credibility boosts. There’s only so long that Joe can sell his own threat before if he constantly loses, it becomes clearly empty threats. Put in other words, before he becomes Bray Wyatt. But he’s not beyond saving and equally, the briefcase isn’t. No one is going to have much to say about anything that came out of 2017’s edition, so this year’s edition really needs to knock it out of the park to remind us why this matters and giving Joe a long run with the briefcase but one where he’s constantly there, constantly reminding the champion that he’s in the wings waiting to strike seems like the best way forward. Because as much as I said the title needs to rebuild its threat, Joe needs it equally, if not more. Plus, he could probably get a custom case in two-tone like his shorts. That could look very cool.

Ultimately, there’s been so many moments since Joe’s appearance on the main Roster where to steal a term from E & C’s Podcast that Totally Reaks of Awesomeness, they could have strapped a rocket to Joe and they just haven’t. It’s because of this, I get the feeling that the Destroyer, The COunquerer, the Emperor of Strong Style won’t be walking out with that Briefcase come Sunday but really, there’s no one more deserving and no better time to make him matter than now. Except for maybe any time in the past year and a half. I’m not even saying just because of my bias, coming from one Joe to another.